Microsoft has completed its biggest roll out yet of Xbox 360 beta kits to third-party developers according to Stateside reports, meaning that work on 360 games can now progress at top speed.

You may remember that we reported the first beta kits had been shipped at the beginning of last month, but this new despatch of kits means that most developers working on Xbox 360 titles will now be able to harness the full power of the console.

The original alpha development kits, which Microsoft used to show Xbox 360 games on the showfloor at E3, were said to only contain 30% of the power of the finished console. These beta kits should contain the finalised 360 chipsets making them the closest thing yet to how the console will be off the shelf.

Early reports suggest that the additional power of the beta kit is allowing developers to create visuals that live up to the console's early promise. Some commentators at E3 felt the games shown were lacking in graphical oomph, especially after Sony's jaw-dropping 'demonstration' of the PS3's power.

So spare a thought for your favourite developer this weekend - they may finally have their hands on an Xbox 360 dev kit, but now they have to figure out how to get the most out of it in advance of the console's worldwide launch in November."